Football
Stephan Uersfeld, Germany correspondent 8y

Bayern captain Philipp Lahm warns Franck Ribery over temperament

Bayern Munich captain Philipp Lahm says he has warned Franck Ribery over his temperament but admitted: "I can't guarantee anything."

Ribery, 33, has been in the spotlight over a series of recent incidents, with the winger appearing to elbow Borussia Dortmund full-back Felix Passlack twice in succession during the German Super Cup at the weekend. 

BVB coach Thomas Tuchel said on Sunday that he had a sense of deja vu after an incident involving Ribery during May's DFB Pokal final, and the former France international had already received a warning over his behaviour from new Bayern boss Carlo Ancelotti for shoving Inter's Felipe Melo during an International Champions Cup game. 

Lahm told reporters on Thursday that he had spoken to Ribery "right after" the Super Cup, saying: "He should keep his hands to himself in the future, and I believe that he understands it, but I don't know whether, with his mentality, you can really ... I can't guarantee anything."

Following the incident on Sunday, several German media outlets ran stories on previous incidents involving Ribery.

An eight-picture gallery on kicker's website showed him slapping Real Madrid's Dani Carvajal in the 4-0 Champions League semifinal defeat in 2014 and striking then Dortmund striker Robert Lewandowski with his elbow in the 2013 Champions League final.

Lahm added: "I believe he understands it, and I think he knows what he's doing there, but I am not his skin and if it happens again I can't stop him from doing it. I can't just run next to him on the pitch all the time."

The Bayern captain, meanwhile, will begin what is set to be his penultimate season as a player when Munich kick off their campaign with a DFB Pokal match at fourth-tier club Carl Zeiss Jena on Friday.

In recent interviews, Bayern CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge said he could imagine Lahm succeeding Matthias Sammer, who left the club this summer after four years, as the club's sporting director.

"First of all, it's nice that the people here think I am capable of taking on certain roles after my career," Lahm said. "It's nice that it's been discussed in public. I have always said that Bayern's my club and that I would furthermore like to take on responsibility. That's no secret.

"We'll definitely hold talks one day. But there's still time. You don't need to rush it."

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